last light

6. Chapter 6: Christmas

It was a week before Christmas.The Volturi were coming in a few months. I wanted to try not to think about that until after the holidays (Try as I may, I still couldn’t).

I hadn’t talked to Charlie in a long time so I decided to call him today.

The phone rang a few times before Charlie answered it. “Hello,” Charlie said.

“Hey dad, it’s me,” I said.

“Hi Bella. How are things over there?”

“There good,” I lied no need to tell him that evil vampires were coming to see if my grandson had a right to live. “How are things with you?”

“There fine. Sue is more worried than you are about my health,” he said.

I laughed. “I think that’s humanly impossible,” and the truth was that it was humanly impossible to be as worried as I was right now.

“So what are you guys doing for Christmas?” he asked.

“I don’t know we don’t have any plans. Why?” I asked.

“Do you want come over here?” he invited us. “A few of Seth and Leah’s friends are coming over.”

“Um. Let me ask Edward,” I said right as Edward walked in.

“Ask me,” Edward said a smile playing on his lips.

“Do you want to go to Charlie’s for Christmas?” I asked him.

“Sure,” he said. He was trying to get me to spend time with Charlie. I smiled at him.

“Yeah dad will come over,” I said.

“Great,” he said, I could hear the smile in his voice.

“So how are Leah and Seth?” I already new how they were; I just asked so we could keep talking.

“Their good. How are my grandchildren?” Charlie asked. His one grandchild and his great-grandchild.

“Their fine. Billy’s talking now. Nessie is well Nessie,” I said.

“Well I got go Bella,” Charlie said.

“Okay, bye dad,” I said.

“Bye Bells,” Charlie said.

“How’s Charlie?” Edward asked.

“He’s fine. Or so he says,” I answered.

“Did he say anything about his condition?”

“No,” I said sadly. “He probably doesn’t want to worry me. He knows if he tells me and it’s bad I’ll be calling him twenty-four/seven.” Literally.

Edward chuckled for a seconded.

“Hey anybody home?” Jacob called as he came in.

“Hi Jake,” I said.

“Have you guys seen Renesmee?” he asked us looking like he was hoping for a ‘yes’.

When Jacob said Renesmee’s full name it caught me off guard. Why was we calling her Renesmee? He only did that when there was some thing serious going on. Did some thing happen? Is everything okay?

“No. What is it Jacob?” I asked.

“It’s Billy,” he said.

“What’s wrong with your dad?” I asked.

“Not my dad. My son,” he said in frustration.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked urgently.

“I don’t know that’s why I’m looking for Nessie,” he said.

“Where is Billy?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Jacob you lost your son,” I said.

“Yeah.”

“How in the world. . .” I didn’t finish.

“Let’s go to the house and see if Nessie’s there she might have Billy,” Edward said calmly.

“That is an excellent idea,” I said.

We ran to the house. Edward rolled his eyes now and then in response to Jacob’s thoughts. I still didn’t get how he lost his son, even though he told us.

When we got to the house Nessie was there holding Billy Jr.

“See Jacob,” I gestured toward Nessie and Billy “Nessie had Billy all long.”

“Jacob where did you think Billy was?” Nessie asked him.

“Well I remembered that I put him down for a nap and then Seth started to howl so I went to see what happened. And when I came back forty-five minutes later he was gone,” Jacob said.

“You thought you lost your son?” Emmett laughed.

“I didn’t know where he was,” Jacob said in defense.

“But still didn’t you think that one of us had him.”

“I didn’t know what to think,” Jacob said.

“I came to get him after his nap and I brought him here because mom and dad were…um…talking.”

“How much did you hear?” I asked her a little embarrassed. Edward and I had been talking about a few of my human memories before I called Charlie.

“Not much. I heard you asking dad something but I didn’t catch it,” she said.

“Well I actually have to ask you the same thing,” I said. “I talked to Charlie today. He invited us to his house for Christmas. Do you want go?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jacob said. “That’s why Seth wanted to talk to everyone. All of us are going.”

“Guess I’m going there any ways,” she said.

It was Christmas day and we were head to Charlie’s. Edward and I were the only vampires that were going. Nessie and Jacob were coming too.

When we got there, there were wolves running in and out of the house. Billy was on the porch talking to Sam and Charlie. Sue was in the kitchen with Emily cooking for the wolves.

“Bells,” Charlie called when we got there.

“Hey dad,” I said as I took Billy Jr. out from the back seat. Edward, Billy Jr. (in my arms) and I walked over to them.

“Where are Jacob and Nessie?” Billy asked when I handed him Billy Jr.

“There coming. Jacob wanted to take the motorcycle,” I said.

“Those things aren’t safe,” Charlie said with a frown. “I can’t believe that you let Nessie ride one of those things.”

“She’ll do it whether we tell her to or not,” Edward said. “And I agree with you they are dangerous.”

I gave him a dirty look. He grinned.

“So Nessie and Jacob are still dating?Charlie asked. Charlie didn’t know that they were married. That would be pushing things.

“Yeah, I think in a few years Jacob might propose,” I said as I smiled at Billy.

“He already has a ring picked out. Don’t worry,” Billy laughed.

“So Edward what do you think?” Sam asked.

“I would be okay with it,” Edward grimaced.

“Really? You didn’t tell me that,” I said.

“Looks like I’m toast when I get home,” Edward said with a smile.

“You can plan on it,” I promised.

Charlie laughed. “You sure know how to tell him whose boss Bells.”

“I sure do.”

The motorcycle approached the driveway with Renesmee and Jacob on it; both not wearing helmets. She was going to get it when she got home. The deal we made was that she could ride the motorcycle only if she wore a helmet and a riding jacket. She was wearing the jacket. Charlie and Edward grimaced at the same time.

“Hi,” Nessie said as she hugged Charlie. She then turned and looked at me.

“Busted,” was all I said.

“Great,” she said.

“I told you to wear the helmet,” Jacob said.

“Shut up,” she snapped.

“Nessie, how’ve you been?” Charlie asked changing the subject.

“I’ve been good,” she said. “How are you?”

“You guys worry way to much,” Charlie said. “And I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Really and truly fine,” he said with confidence.

“That’s not what Carlisle said,” I accused him.

“Okay, so I’m not fine,” he said. “I’m sick.”

“How bad?” I asked. “And if you lie Carlisle will tell me the truth,” I added.

“The doctors say I might live a little less then they thought in the beginning. But they said it still is longer than most at my stage,” he said. “Happy.”

“Dad maybe you should go to one of those cancer specialists,” I said. What he should do is have Carlisle look at him. I should ask Alice when we get back to tell me exactly how long Charlie had to live.

“The doctor said that if I went they wouldn’t be able to help me,” he said.

“Are you leaving anything out?” I shot a glance at Edward who shook his head to fast for Charlie to notice.

“No,” Charlie sighed.

The day went on. We talked about lighter subjects. I always sneaked in something that was related to the subject but meant something else. I did this so Sam could find out how bad things were.

We left Charlie’s right as Billy Jr. started to fall a sleep. When we got home Nessie tried to get out of the lecture that she was going to get.

“I’m really tired,” she said with a yawn. “I’m going to bed.”

“I’ll come with you,” Jacob said as they headed for the door.

“Stop right there,” I said.

“What?” Nessie asked in a confused tone.

“Why didn’t you wear your helmet?” I asked.

“Because I didn’t feel like,” she snapped.

“You don’t understand do you about how important it is for you to wear that helmet,” I said.

“No I don’t.”

“Jacob, why don’t you tell her what happened to me the first time I was on a motorcycle without a helmet,” I grimaced at the memory.

“You cut your forehead open,” Jacob said.

“You did what?” Edward asked. I had forgotten to tell him about that.

“And almost got a concussion,” Jacob finished.

“Nessie your half human that can happen to you,” I said. “Now do you understand why it is so important?”

“Yes. I’ll wear it from now on,” she said. “Now may I go to bed?”

“Yes you may,” Edward said.

When they left Edward looked at me. “What?” I said.

“You almost got a concussion?” he asked calmly. I knew his voice so well that I could hear that there was something behind the calm.

“Didn’t I tell you that?” I asked.

“No you did not,” he said.

“It was really nothing. I just fell off and got a long cut across my forehead,” I said hoping he would drop the subject.

“Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?” he asked.

“Not that I know of,” I lied. There were many things that he should know and that I wanted to tell him but I didn’t want his reactions.

He looked at me with his beautiful hypnotic eyes.

“Well…” I said deliberating whether I should tell him or not. He walked over and kissed my neck. It was so hard not to tell him what he wanted to hear. “I did…um…well…think that…I ran into that guy…the one when that almost…hurt me in…Port Angles…”

“What?!” he asked angrily against my collarbone.

“Don’t worry it wasn’t him, it was a guy who looked similar to him,” I quickly regretted telling him everything that I just did.

He moved his lips so that he was kissing my lips instead of my collarbone.

Edward kissed me for a long moment.

“I’m not going to say anything tonight,” he said his lips still against mine. That was a relief. “But, I will the next time this conversation happens.” Great. He lifted up his head.

“Hey Bella,” Tanya said as she came down the stair case.

“Hey.”

“How’s Charlie?” she asked.

“He says he’s fine but I don’t believe him,” I said. “Alice?”

“Yeah,” Alice called down the stairs.

“Would you do me a favor?” I asked her as she came down.

“Sure. What is it?”

“Would you look and see how long Charlie has left?”

“Oh. Bella I’m sorry that’s just too far in the future,” she said. “I cannot see how long he has left.”

“Do you know an estimate of how long?” I asked. Any little amount of information that I could get I was grateful for.

She and Edward looked at each other almost to quickly for vampires.

“Um. Eight to ten months,” she said.

“Oh. Wow,” I said. “That’s not very long.”

“No it is not,” she agreed.

Edward shot her a dirty look.

“Are you two keeping something from me?” I asked.

“No why would you think that,” Edward said defensive.

“Edward if your trying to keep me from freaking out…I’ll freak out a lot more if you tell me later than now.”

“Well, he may not be able to function…properly in the last…few months,” Alice said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked confused.

“It means…that…he may not…be able…to…remember…things…or…people…also he might…not…be able…to leave the hospital,” she said.

“Thanks Alice,” I said. I wanted to be alone with Edward right now. I pushed my shield out and let Edward read my mind.

“We should get back to the cottage Nessie and Jacob are going to be a little preoccupied tonight. If Billy wakes up they won’t notice,” Edward said helping me find an escape.

“Okay,” I agreed.

We ran towards the cottage. But we didn’t go to the cottage. Instead we ran to the out skirts of Seattle. We sat on the out skirts and looked at the lights of Seattle.

“Bella,” Edward said after a while breaking the silence. “Are you okay?”

“No,” I responded. Edward wrapped his arms around me.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said.

“No it’s not,” I said.

“Yes it will,” he disagreed.

“No Edward it’s not,” I said. “Stop trying to comfort me! You know it’s not going to be okay. And I also know that you know more about Charlie’s condition then I do. So for once just stop protecting me from the truth and just tell me the truth.” He was only telling me a bit of the information not the whole truth. For once in my life I wanted the truth. The whole truth.

“You don’t want to know the truth,” he said softly.

“Yes, I do just tell me,” I said.

“Charlie only has… six months to live,” he paused. “Alice sees him dying on June . . . twenty-eighth.”

“June?” I said. “The twenty-eighth?” I took a deep breath. “Wow.” June twenty-eighth. It was sooner than I expected.

“I shouldn’t have told you,” he said.

“I’m glad you did,” I told him so he wouldn’t regret that he told me the truth.

Edward kissed me. I knew he was trying to distract me and I wanted him to.

We didn’t speak for the rest of the night. There was one part of my mind that thought it was weird that it was happening now and here. This was not the place and it definitely was not the best time. But for some weird reason my body needed to be this close to Edward.